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While the U.S. Embassy in Havana and international organizations commemorated this Tuesday the International Day of Human Rights by demanding the freedom of Cuban political prisoners, the regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel posted a message on social media that sparked a wave of ridicule and public outrage.
In a post from Cubadebate, the official mouthpiece of the regime, the government stated that the Cuban Revolution and socialism are “a system for all and by all, based on social justice, equality, and humanism.”
The message was accompanied by fist emojis and Cuban flags, along with a rhetorical question: "Why is International Human Rights Day celebrated today?"
Cubans immediately reacted to the post with complaints about the cynicism of the regime and the humanitarian crisis facing the island.
"This is true sarcasm. It looks like a meme."; "Man, these people really have some nerve."; "How much hypocrisy and cynicism... what human rights can be discussed in Cuba where expressing oneself freely is a sin?" some said.
Other users pointed out the lack of real equality, hunger, repression, and the inhumane living conditions faced by most Cubans.
"In Cuba, human rights are not respected and many other things... the people do not even have their basic needs covered to survive," he emphasized.
One of the most shared comments was from an internet user who posted a lengthy message denouncing the conditions in which the population lives.
"The people of Cuba today do not live; they survive, and they do so under very undignified conditions. No ideology justifies living without water, without food, without medicine, or without electricity. Living this way is inhuman. The unplanned blackouts, the lack of gas, the empty basic goods basket—all are consequences of their ineptitude. As Fidel said: everything that needs to be changed must be changed. It is impossible to live like this," he pointed out.
The official regime post stated that “the Cuban government maintains its firm commitment to strengthen and enhance the promotion and protection of human rights for all.”
However, internet users recalled that in Cuba, one cannot freely express opinions, press, or the right to protest.
“Human rights… but within the revolution. If you question it, you complicate your existence.”; “The concept is well written, but very poorly executed. The people have neither a voice nor a vote, only to swallow whole what the government imposes,” some comments assert.
Even some Cubans cited Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression, to contrast it with the censorship and persecution that exist on the island.
Many users rated the message from Cubadebate as a "cruel joke" or an "institutional meme."
"It is a mockery of the people."; "The lie turned into journalism. There are no limits to shame anymore."; and "Just by looking at the body weight of a retiree and a public official, one can see the equality." These are comments that can be read in the publication.
This Wednesday, dozens of Cubans in other countries gathered to demand the release of political prisoners on the island.
Likewise, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba requested the release of prisoners with candles and images of several detainees.
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